21 Ways to Make MONEY as DJs / Music Producer 💰💵

Summary

This video script offers 21 strategies for DJs and music producers to make money and build a sustainable career in 2024. It covers performing at gigs, running events, releasing music on labels and self-releasing, utilizing platforms like Bandcamp and SoundCloud, exploring NFTs, hosting podcasts or radio shows, live streaming on Twitch, and creating monetizable YouTube channels. Additional tips include using Patreon, selling sample packs, offering education, and leveraging Discord for membership services. The script also suggests engaging in merchandise sales, playlist curation, and even working within the music industry to build networks and generate income.

Takeaways

• 🎧 Building a career as a DJ or music producer in 2024 involves multiple revenue streams and mastering key platforms.
• 🎤 Gigs and live performances: Start locally, build a fan base, and always ask for a fee to cover expenses.
• 🎉 Running your own events: Collaborate with friends and other DJs, ensure good content coverage, and manage it like a business.
• 🎵 Releasing on labels: Aim for big labels over time by building your audience and marketing your releases effectively.
• 💰 Self-releasing music: Platforms like Bandcamp allow you to keep 100% of royalties and require a strong content strategy.
• 📻 Podcast or radio show: Create a series, build an audience, and monetize through sponsorships or by joining platforms like Data Transmission Radio.
• 📺 YouTube and Twitch: Regular streaming and content creation can build an audience and generate revenue once you meet platform requirements.
• 🎙️ Teaching and education: Offer one-on-one sessions or start a membership-based Discord server to share your skills and knowledge.
• 👕 Merchandise: Create and sell branded merchandise to your audience to generate additional income.
• 🖊️ Writing and blogging: Platforms like Substack and creating a blog can help monetize your writing and combine all your content in one place.

Q & A

What is the first way to make money as a DJ or producer mentioned in the video?

The first way mentioned is performing at gigs, club shows, festivals, and other events. The key is to know your target audience and network with event organizers.

What should DJs consider when quoting a fee for a gig?

DJs should consider all costs involved, including travel, accommodation, meals, and any other expenses to ensure they do not lose money on the show.

How can DJs and producers run their own events?

They can start by gathering a group of friends and DJ mates to organize a party. Finding a small venue and promoting the event to build a local fan base is essential.

What is the benefit of releasing music on labels?

Releasing on labels can provide significant reach, streams, and sales, potentially turning a single release into a career if done successfully.

How does Bandcamp help DJs and producers?

Bandcamp allows DJs and producers to release their music independently, retaining 100% of the royalties from sales and building their audience directly.

What is SoundCloud for Artists and its benefit?

SoundCloud for Artists allows musicians to distribute their music across all streaming platforms and monetize their streams through fan-based royalties.

How can NFTs be utilized by DJs and producers?

DJs and producers can release their music as NFTs, offering exclusive content and potentially earning significant revenue from limited releases.

Why is starting a podcast or radio show beneficial for DJs?

A podcast or radio show can help build an audience, attract sponsors, and provide a platform for interviews and music promotion.

How can Twitch be used to generate revenue for DJs?

DJs can live stream their performances on Twitch, build a following, and monetize their streams through subscriptions and donations once they become affiliates.

What are some ways to monetize a YouTube channel as a DJ or producer?

Monetizing a YouTube channel can be done through ad revenue, memberships, Patreon integration, and offering exclusive content to subscribers.

How can DJs use sample packs to generate income?

DJs can create and sell sample packs to other producers and musicians, providing additional revenue streams through platforms like Loopmasters.

What is a members-only Discord service, and how can it benefit DJs?

A members-only Discord service offers exclusive content, lessons, and community engagement for a subscription fee, providing a steady income stream.

How can merchandise sales contribute to a DJ's income?

Selling branded merchandise like T-shirts, hoodies, and other items can generate additional revenue and promote the DJ's brand.

What is SubmitHub, and how can it be used by DJs?

SubmitHub allows DJs with Spotify playlists to earn revenue by reviewing and potentially adding submitted tracks to their playlists.

What are theme pages, and how can they be monetized?

Theme pages on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts can build large audiences and be monetized through sponsored content and collaborations.

What are the benefits of creating a YouTube music channel?

A YouTube music channel can support other artists, build an audience, and generate revenue through ad placements and sponsored content.

How can Substack be used by DJs and producers?

Substack allows DJs and producers to monetize their writing by offering exclusive content through a subscription-based newsletter.

Why might working in a record store be beneficial for DJs?

Working in a record store provides access to the latest music, networking opportunities with other DJs, and helps build a community.

What are some other jobs in the music industry that can support a DJ career?

Other jobs include management, booking agents, publicists, designers, and other roles that help build industry connections and provide a steady income.

What should DJs do if they want to be successful in 2024?

They should diversify their income streams, network, leverage social media, and continuously learn and adapt to new opportunities in the industry.

Outlines

00:00

🎧 DJ and Music Producer Career Strategies

This paragraph outlines 21 ways for DJs and music producers to make money in 2024. It emphasizes the importance of understanding various revenue streams and mastering key platforms. The speaker encourages building a local fan base, charging for gigs, and considering the costs associated with performances. They also suggest running your own events, releasing music on labels, and self-releasing music on platforms like Bandcamp and SoundCloud, where you can earn royalties. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the importance of marketing and content creation to grow an audience and increase revenue.

05:01

🎶 Monetizing Music Through NFTs and Digital Platforms

The second paragraph delves into the potential of NFTs and Web 3.0 for musicians, highlighting the ease of uploading music as NFTs and the revenue potential from limited edition digital releases. It also discusses the benefits of starting a podcast or radio show for monetization through sponsorships and audience growth. Live streaming on platforms like Twitch is presented as a viable revenue stream, with tips on how to grow a following and earn money through the platform. The paragraph also covers the creation of a YouTube channel for DJ mixes or educational content, and the integration of Patreon to offer memberships and additional content to supporters.

10:02

🛍️ Exploring Additional Income Streams for DJs and Producers

This paragraph offers a range of additional income streams for DJs and music producers. It suggests creating and selling sample packs, offering teaching and educational services, and setting up a membership-based Discord server for a more interactive learning experience. The speaker also recommends selling merchandise, using platforms like Submit Hub to review and monetize tracks, and creating theme pages on social media to build and monetize audiences. The paragraph concludes with the idea of creating a YouTube music channel to upload and promote other artists' music, building an audience that can be monetized through advertising or partnerships.

📘 Writing, Blogging, and Working in the Music Industry

The final paragraph focuses on opportunities for DJs and producers who are interested in writing, such as creating a Substack for email-based content monetization or starting a blog to consolidate various content and audience engagement efforts. It also touches on the benefits of working in a record store to gain access to new music and build a community. The paragraph concludes with the suggestion to explore various jobs within the music industry, such as management, booking, or design, to build a network and generate additional income that can support and enhance one's DJing career.

Keywords

💡Revenue Streams

Revenue streams refer to the various sources of income that a DJ or music producer can utilize. In the video, these include gigs, running events, releasing music on labels, and more. Each stream provides a different way to earn money and is crucial for building a sustainable career.

💡Gigs

Gigs are live performances at clubs, festivals, or private events where DJs play their music. The video emphasizes the importance of playing gigs to build a local fanbase, network, and earn a DJ fee. It suggests starting locally and gradually expanding.

💡Releases on Labels

Releasing music on record labels is a significant way to gain exposure and earn money. The video mentions that bigger labels can lead to larger audiences and higher sales. However, it also notes that artists should start with smaller labels and work their way up.

💡Self-Releasing

Self-releasing involves distributing music independently, often through platforms like Bandcamp and SoundCloud. The video highlights that self-releasing allows artists to retain 100% of their royalties but requires effective marketing to reach an audience.

💡Bandcamp

Bandcamp is a platform for independent artists to sell their music directly to fans. The video discusses how artists can use Bandcamp to release original material, build an audience, and earn revenue from sales without intermediaries.

💡SoundCloud for Artists

SoundCloud for Artists is a service that helps musicians distribute their music to various streaming platforms and monetize their tracks. The video explains that it includes features like fan-based royalties, where artists earn money based on streams.

💡Live Streaming

Live streaming refers to broadcasting live DJ sets or performances on platforms like Twitch. The video suggests that live streaming is a good revenue stream, as DJs can earn money through subscriptions and donations from viewers.

💡YouTube Channel

A YouTube channel can be a valuable tool for DJs and producers to share their music, mixes, and educational content. The video notes that while building a monetizable YouTube channel takes time, it can provide significant long-term income through ad revenue and memberships.

💡Sample Packs

Sample packs are collections of audio samples that producers can sell to other musicians and producers. The video suggests creating and selling sample packs as an additional revenue stream, especially for those with production skills.

💡Merchandise

Merchandise includes items like t-shirts, hoodies, and other branded products that artists can sell to fans. The video mentions that selling merch can be a profitable venture and help build a brand and fan loyalty.

Highlights

21 ways to make money as a DJ and music producer in 2024 are discussed.

Playing gigs and building a local fan base is crucial for initial success.

Always ask for a DJ fee, even if it's small, to ensure sustainability.

Running your own events can be an alternative to traditional bookings.

Releasing music on labels can lead to significant streams and sales.

Self-releasing music on platforms like Bandcamp can yield 100% royalties.

SoundCloud offers fan-based royalties for every stream of your music.

NFTs and Web 3.0 provide new avenues for music monetization.

Starting a podcast or radio show can be monetizable and beneficial.

Live streaming on Twitch is a viable revenue stream for DJs.

Building a YouTube channel can be monetizable through various means.

Adding Patreon to your YouTube channel can directly monetize your content.

Sample packs can be sold to generate extra revenue.

Teaching and education in DJing and music production can be a source of income.

Discord servers with membership tiers can offer exclusive content and generate revenue.

Merchandise can be sold using your channel to increase revenue.

Submit Hub allows DJs to earn from reviewing tracks.

Creating theme pages on social media platforms can be monetizable.

Substack can monetize your writing about dance music or culture.

Working in a record store can provide networking opportunities and industry insights.

Various jobs in the music industry can provide a daytime revenue stream while building a DJ career.

Transcripts

how do you make money as a DJ or dance

music producer in 2024 how do you make

this a career or how do you keep it

sustainable whilst you grind out to

becomes a career in this video I'm going

to give you 21 ways to make money as a

DJ and a producer let's do this being a

DJ or producer in 2024 there are so many

different revenue streams and different

ways to make money and make careers for

your music there are so many different

paths and combined paths and you have to

master key platforms and that's all on

top of making the music but it's all

worth it on this channel I have video to

help you understand how to Market music

how to grow your social media how to

understand Spotify and grow your Spotify

and get more streams grow on Soundcloud

and everything else that comes after

making the music and learning to DJ so

make sure you subscribe to the channel

cuz you there is so much content on here

to help you as a DJ and producer okay

number one let's start super obvious so

apologies and then I'll dig into the

more inventive let's say I hope that's

okay I want to make sure I cover all the

list from the base level up to the more

advanced so number one gear GS club

shows festivals playing on a Bea you

name it the biggest thing when you want

to work out when you want to play a gig

is who do you want to play for I've

asked so many DJs that question and

they'll just say I'll play for anyone

and I can guarantee they're playing for

no one so who do you want to play for

who's putting the parties on and are

they in your network do you know them or

how can you get to know them starting

locally and build a local fan base and

become a local hero when it comes to DJ

bookings always ask for a DJ fee even if

it's small and build that up and if a

gig is further away consider all of your

costs that you're going to have to make

that gig possible hotels travel dinner

parking all of these costs and then you

can quote a fee around the cost to make

it even if it's just making it possible

so you don't lose money on the show

number two run your own events this is

an alternative obviously number one and

those that can't get booked put your own

shows on do you have a group of friends

you can get to start a party do you have

DJ mates from different towns that have

different groups of friends that you can

all pull together as a collective and

make one party and can you find a small

venue and start from them you'd be

amazingly surprised how difficult it is

to get 25 to 50 to 100 people to a venue

to a party and you have to convince them

that that part is going to be the best

night of their life and when you've got

no social media content that's difficult

when it comes to that content make sure

you've got someone covering the night

make sure you've got them making content

of the event and the shows and the

people that attended that shows cuz then

you can use that to build on those shows

for the next shows run it like a

business it is essentially have a profit

and loss sheet look at your costs your

incomes your expenditures and keep it

running that way and then you can keep

track of you're making money number

three releases on labels another biggie

this can be also really big depending on

the size of the label depending on the

size of the audience depending on the

size of the release some big releases

can have massive streams massive sales

and can turn into careers straight away

from a big release but more likely this

is more of a long-term plan for you and

you have to build up to it in most cases

big labels like I said have big reach

big sales big streams but if you are

just starting out don't expect to be on

the big labels if you not bring anything

to the table work on which lbers are

right for you and work on which part of

the ladder you're on when it comes to

going up that ladder to the big releases

and then when you get a release get as

many streams build as much audience off

that release as humanly possible spend

time marketing the release building out

the content for that release and getting

used to making content for your releases

cuz it will stand you in good stead when

you're going forward to the next release

and the next release and if you didn't

see my video on Spotify and why it's so

important to grow your Spotify as DJs to

grow up the release ladder then watch

this video next by doing all these

things you'll go up and up the ladder

and you'll get onto the bigger labels

and if you also haven't checked out my

free training on how to promote your

next release then I'll link to that in

the description below and check that out

cuz that's really here to help you cover

the three key things to promoting your

next release and really maximize that

next release number four Bank Camp the

next couple of points are going to go

down the kind of self-releasing route

and look at different parts of

self-releasing routes with the

self-releasing model you're going to get

100% of the royalties as opposed to

releasing on a label you're going to get

smaller but you're not going to have

access to that audience when it comes to

releasing you need to release original

material Bank Camp I don't want to see

any those bootlegs being sold I see you

people doing it it's not cool you don't

own the rights and then when it comes to

releasing n build that audience on

bankamp share it to your other audience

work out the content strategy and

promote those releases the good thing

with bank cam is each sale goes directly

into your account you need to make sure

you promote those releases across social

media and have your own strategy to

Market those that music which sometimes

you'll get with a big release on a label

sometimes you won't and as I said you

don't get to tap into that audience the

label comes with you can also team self-

relases with actual releases as well to

build out your whole strategy for your

whole year and you can actually build

off a good release on a label into a

reliefs and it's going to help grow that

audience and build more sales through

your band Camp Page a band camp

following will grow over time and again

it it'll be one of those ones that grows

and gets better and better over releases

but you do need to drive a lot of

traffic from your social media or your

email database number five SoundCloud

for artists with a band camp release you

might want to release it on all the

streaming platforms as well and using

SoundCloud for artists is a great

platform to distribute your music to all

of the streaming platforms and also

monetize your SoundCloud SoundCloud have

a system called fan based royalties

which means every person that streams

your music you earn off that music on

SoundCloud and if you want to know more

about SoundCloud for artist then you

should check out this video next I go in

depth into SoundCloud for artist and how

it's going to work for you number six

nfts and web 3 so you've got your

downloads you've got your streaming all

locked in with the previous two points

and in your self- relasing catalog you

can have an nft release it's becoming

easier and easier to upload your

releases in nfts and if you go to sound.

XYZ you can now upload just the web and

the artwork and make an nft download

check out this interview I did with

Acutech who's been releasing nfts the

last year and he made a massive Revenue

off of NS last year using those

platforms and it's definitely should be

considered when you're releasing as a

self-releasing he's actually only

releasing 10 to 15 downloads on that nft

I'm making so much money number seven

podcast or Radio Show starting a podcast

interview series and an audio interview

series can be really beneficial and it

can also be monetizable you can bring

sponsors in for your show depending on

your audience size and it can be a

long-term return you'll definitely need

to build your following up on the series

with podcast it's good to think about

having it as as a series think about the

first 10 episodes as one series do all

the interviews make all the content and

then start putting the series out and

promote it and then while that one's

going out you can work on Series 2 and

Series 3 and series 4 it's a lot of

front loading when it comes to making a

series but then it's easier each week to

week with radio shows we're recruiting

new hosts for data transmission radio

for 2024 and it's great you can build an

audience on data transmission radio

which then you can use that platform to

get more gigs and get signed to the

bigger labels if you want all the

information for this service and it is a

service then I'll put the information in

the links in the description number

eight live streaming on Twitch this is a

really really good Revenue stream for

DJs you do it from home you only need 50

followers and 8 hours of streaming and

you can start earning money on Twitch

once you've become an affiliate on

Twitch then you can start earning you

need to do some simple steps to get

there you can stream from home you set

up a regular stream each week maybe once

twice a week and it gets you DJing it

get you making content getting building

an audience and earning pretty great

right and if you want to start doing

that in 2024 you should watch this video

next on how to get from zero to 1,000

followers on Twitch and how to grow on

the platform go check that out number

nine YouTube channel building on our

previous Point starting a YouTube

channel could be massively monetizable

for you it could either be DJing it

could be DJ mixes it could be education

or producer lead it all depends where

you are in your career the monetization

on YouTube takes a bit longer because

you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000

watch hours you could run third party

applications alongside your you channel

to monetize for instance on our demo

feedback session which happens every

Monday and Wednesday on this channel we

have Subscription Service a membership

service four half shed heads we have

super shed heads and shed heads and each

of those levels are £4 and £8 a month

and by becoming a shedhead or a super

shed head you firstly support the stream

and we use that money to improve those

streams but also the big thing with that

subscription is you jump your demo up

the list and you guarantee yourself

getting listened to we use a platform

called buy me a coffee and you literally

sign up and then you get a different

level in our Discord number 10 adding a

patreon to your YouTube channel when you

add a patreon to your channel it plugs

directly into your channel and literally

displays on your channel it makes it

really easy to add memberships like we

have done with our buy me a coffee but

directly within you YouTube our friends

over the channel flavor trip have done

that superbly they started their Channel

just over a year ago they've grown to

226,000 followers DJ mixes of them DJing

around the world in different places

their wholeo is that they DJ they also

cooking food and having nice drinks and

it's a flavor trip and they're traveling

around Europe playing in these mad

spaces with mad backgrounds and they've

grown their channel to millions of

streams and millions of views from it

now they patreon they give away the

recipes they're cooking they give away

the drinks cocktails and they give away

some other stuff backstage as well which

gain but they also supports the channel

and it's a really good way to monetize

number 11 sample packs those of you

doing producer channels can you make

sample packs to give away to your

audience can you sell those sample packs

on the platforms like loot Masters to

earn extra Revenue to help you create

the channels and create the content this

leads on to number 12 teaching and

education you could educate the Next

Generation with your skills so maybe

your YouTube channels around your DJ

skills and you've been excellent DJing

you could offer a onetoone service to

how to improve their DJ skills if you're

doing production you could do one to one

again production skills and using that

outlet as a teacher Outlet number 13

have a members Discord service if you

want to take that teaching to a bigger

level then you could have a Discord

server which is membership based only

like my friends over at kick and base is

an excellent Discord service and I'm

their social media expert in that

Discord and I speak in there every week

they have a three- tiered system and you

get different things for different tiers

from extra lessons from extra tuition

from different access to the server and

it's for them it's a great Revenue

stream number 14 merchandise the flavor

trip team have actually just added

merchandise to their YouTube channel and

they've used their channel to sell more

merch some of the other big labels and

small labels have merchandise at data

transmission we have our own merchandise

as well and all the jumpers and t-shirts

that I wear in my videos you can grab

from our online store at datat

transmission. store go and grab some new

threads for 2024 number 15 submit hub

for those of you who have Spotify

playlist and are building a foll that

playlist and actually started a playlist

as a DJ and watched this video from a

while back on why you should have a

playlist as a DJ then you can become a

playlist on submit Hub and earn from

that it's not earning from placements in

the Spotify playlist cuz that's illegal

what you're doing is you'll earn from

reviewing tracks for submit Hub people

can submit tracks for you to listen to

you have to give them feedback within a

certain time frame and you earn off of

those feedbacks then if you like the

tracks you can include them into your

playlist you can earn quite a lot of

nice little revenue from those and also

those revenues you can then actually put

into Facebook and Instagram ads to grow

your Spotify playlist to give you more

people submitting and it kind of circles

around and around around it's not too

time consuming and it's nice little

Revenue number 16 create a theme page on

Instagram Tik Tok and YouTube shorts my

next batch of ideas is around the thing

I've been doing for the last 16 years

and running data transmission we've

built audiences on YouTube on Soundcloud

on Spotify on Instagram and Tik Tok from

just uploading music and DJ performances

we've enjoyed and there are other Pages

these theme Pages like that in different

genres if you search techno for instance

Instagram there's loads that come up

loads have got massive audiences and by

building your own theme page this is

then monetizable anything with an

audience people want to pay to be

involved in that audience and putting

their content in front of the audience

there's definitely revenue for that

number 17 a YouTube music channel so

adding on to that what we just talked

about is creating a YouTube channel

where you upload other people's music

and you build an audience like we do a

data Transmissions Channel if you've not

checked that out go and check it out we

upload two premieres a day on our data

transmission data transmission drum Bas

and new techno channels supporting

labels and supporting music and building

out an audience on there when they get

bigger and bigger essentially again

you've got an audience and you can

charge for that space on that audience

like Pages like blank do for instance

and again you can do that on Soundcloud

as well we do on Soundcloud if you've

not checked our SoundCloud out I'll link

all of them below and there tons of

Music we been do it for a long time

number 18 substack for my friends that

are writers and like to write about

dance music or dance music culture music

or DJs then why don't you create a

substack essentially it monetizes your

writing substack is a membership based

system where people pay to get that

email into their inbox and read the full

piece of content as a writer's point of

view this could actually give you access

to free music gigs going to Festival

backstage tickets anything with an

audience people will want you to cover

it number 19 a Blog data transmission

for instance is a Blog and you can turn

that substack into something bigger

where you have columns and features and

articles and it could also be a home

where you combine all all these things

all your sub SoundCloud uploads your

YouTube uploads your Spotify playlist

all in one place in your blog number 20

work in a record store okay we started

super obvious with this list and now

we're going to go old school and work in

a record shop there AR there anywhere

around anymore unfortunately but some of

the biggest artists in the world all

started their careers working in record

stores you get access to all the latest

music you get access to network other

DJs comeing you make your community and

you build your network from that working

in those stores number 21 work in the

music industry there are so many jobs in

the music industry that you can do on a

day-to Time basis and this could come

from management it come from booking

agents it could be publicists it could

be creatives and editors and designers

to every other job that you can think of

they're all in the music industry

lawyers accountants you can all work in

the industry and again this is going to

help you create an industry Network it's

going to give you a daytime revenue and

then you can use your side hustle as

your DJing and that's going to help that

Aid that along did you find this useful

and which revenue streams have you got

going at the moment let me know in the

chat give me the numbers 1 to 21 in the

chat which ones you're using already did

I miss any if I've missed one put it in

the comments I'd love to hear it do you

want to be a successful DJ and producer

in 2024 then you need to watch this

video next before you jump over here

like this video subscribe to the channel

we're dropping videos every week and

doing two demo streams every week so

going pack this year of content that

you're going to need to improve and

become a successful DJ in 2024 watch

this video next and I'll see you over in

this video see you later bye-bye